Never Forgive Never Forget (Celeste and Philip) novel Chapter 167

The next morning.

Celeste woke up in the lounge of the studio, her phone buzzing insistently on the nightstand. Kate's voice came through before she even managed to sit up.

"How's the composition coming along?"

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Celeste glanced at the stack of sheet music piled on the bedside table—every page filled with scribbled notes and melodies.

Her days at Claud's studio had been a whirlwind of creativity, and every spark of inspiration had found its way onto those pages.

"Actually, your timing is perfect. I've had a burst of ideas lately."

She hung up, got ready, and agreed to meet Kate at her studio.

Celeste drove her Rolls straight there. As soon as she parked, Kate—already waiting at the curb—walked right over, grinning.

"Wow, your new husband really spoils you. It's obvious he's head over heels."

Celeste shot her a look as she locked the car. "Why do you assume he bought it? Maybe I treated myself."

With a laugh, Kate looped her arm through Celeste's as they headed inside. "Please. Even if you had all the money in the world, you wouldn't waste it on a luxury car just to get around town. You've always said cars are just for convenience. Definitely a husband move."

Celeste laughed, squeezing Kate's hand. "You know me too well."

But then, thinking of Alfred and their relationship, her tone softened. "He really is the best partner I could ask for."

Kate raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the Rolls as they walked. The best partner in the world—but would a ‘partner' rush to buy you a car like that after such a short time? Was it really just partnership?

She kept her thoughts to herself. Relationships, after all, were their own business.

Inside, the orchestra was already gathering for their weekly group rehearsal. The room buzzed with sound as musicians tuned their instruments and chatted quietly.

As they spoke, a woman rushed in, breathless and apologetic. "Sorry, traffic was a nightmare today. I'm late—my apologies, everyone!"

Someone called out, "You're always stuck in traffic!"

"Salome, you live pretty close to the studio, don't you? Can it really be that bad?"

The other violinists gathered around, chiding her with gentle concern.

Celeste looked over, recognizing Salome as the violinist who'd fallen ill mid-performance and whom she'd had to replace on stage.

After the concert, Kate had benched Salome for a two-week probation, a warning to the rest. Still, her pay and benefits hadn't been touched.

Kate had never been one for leniency when it came to orchestra discipline. Without hesitation, she strode over to confront the issue head-on.